Romney as dark horse in 2008

Your humble host put his preliminary backing behind Mitt Romney for the Republican 2008 nomination a few months ago. I believe Romney has a number of things going for him, not least that he is a conservative who actually wants to run government, and that he can appeal to the religious base.

This straw poll shows him as a surprise 2nd place, after Bill Frist, in whose backyard the poll was taken. I am telling you, Romney is the dark horse to watch.

Some have said that Romney’s Mormonism will be a problem, but I say otherwise. I believe that many evangelicals will come to see that his values are in line with their own, and look beyond denominations. From what I’ve read about the recent Southern Republican Leadership Conference, Romney is making a deliberate effort to woo these voters.

Personally, I am more interested in his mastery of numbers and belief in the private sector than his moral leanings. The small-government “business” conservatives (such as yours truly) and the evangelicals are two major pillars of the party, and he appeals to both. Can any other candidate say that?

For a time, I thought the ticket could be McCain/Romney: McCain because he is a hawk who can reach across the aisle, with Romney for governmental sobriety and the evangelical vote.

I am becoming less convinced about McCain lately (remember, he voted against Bush’s tax cuts and was half of McCain-Feingold), but Romney is showing increasing savvy.

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Update: Hugh Hewitt takes a more detailed, tactical view here.